it's just wrong enough to make it feel right
by Mariss95
Summary: [AU] The perils (or perks) of co-ed bathrooms.


Hi! Here comes another AU, that happens in the same 'verse and is kinda a continuation of my other olicity college au ficlet, **_I just wanna know you better now_**; and replies to the prompt '_walked in on you in the shower_'.

_Hope you all like it!_ If so, please let me know somehow :)

* * *

**it's just wrong enough to make it feel right**

This is definitely not how she saw her Friday night going.

This time she can't even blame sleep-deprivation or Sara's peculiar choice of drinks for it. But she can totally blame Oliver, because really, how could she have known?

As usual, she had followed stone cold hard logic:

**STEP 1**

She left her last final exam of the semester, pumping her fist into the air in celebration, out of instinct. Then she reeled herself back to normal human-being behavior after having lived two weeks in textbook land. Which brought her to a most immediate need;

**STEP 2**

Taking a damn good shower.

For drinking coffee and excessive studying had been her main activities lately, which had really affected her eating habits as well as her hygiene. There had been no more than five-minute showers for far too long, and Felicity was craving the luxurious time of mulling her thoughts over under a hot spring of water. A bubbling tub and vanilla-scented candles would've been her setting of choice, but she had to make do with the plain standard showers they had by their dorms.

A quick pass through her room's hall revealed her usual bathroom of choice was in full pre-party-mode; read, loads of make-up and hair preparations, with a fierce presence of all-out spontaneous group accapella numbers being belted by the small crowd within.

Any other day she would have joined along without a second thought; but, drained by the work done, today Felicity just wanted some peace and quiet. No partying or crowds, but her comfy Star-labs sweatshirt and maybe a Firefly marathon along with some wine.

Just calm, wonderfully uneventful.

With that plan in mind, she picked up the necessary toiletries from her vacant room -Sara already having gone home for the winter break- and sneaked, in just her towel and flip-flops, towards the co-ed bathroom in the back hall. Being the oldest one in the building, and with zero mirrors or lounging space, it was usually deserted.

And yes, thanking her lucky stars, Felicity found it wonderfully empty and silent; cuing then to:

**STEP 3**

Beginning her showering ritual.

Skipping the usual step of playing some mood music on her phone, Felicity simply hummed under her breath a familiar tune as she set her stuff down, released her hair from its usual high ponytail and chose a shower stall. Taking a calming deep breath, she reached her arm in and swiftly turned the water onto its hottest setting.

_Yes_; she could almost feel the heat soothing her aching body, washing the residual nerves away and enveloping her in its billowy fog.

Which would be:

**STEP 4**

-if Oliver Queen hadn't happened.

For she had dropped her towel to the floor and entered the shower stall at last, stark naked, then full-on collided with someone's equally naked chest. Someone's very muscular, impressively broad chest, whose owner reached out instinctively to steady her tumbling self.

Speechless and filled with horror, Felicity looked up to meet her shower partner's eyes. The screech that left her lips next was almost inhuman.

"_Oliver?!_"

They remained frozen in place for a beat too long, his eyes widening comically as he took their current predicament in. Her lips opened and closed countless times, no sound coming out.

As if her mouth had a mind of its own, when her tongue finally loosened, she found herself stating the obvious.

"You're naked." _Gloriously so_. "And wet. In the shower. With me."

Blazing read rose to her cheeks with each word uttered, her finally taking a step backwards and adding one last useful thought once Oliver released in turn his hold on her arms.

"Why?"

(Later she would take pride in the fact he had to cough twice to regain his voice then.)

"I was taking a shower."

"With no water on? That sounds counterproductive."

"I heard a noise and turned it off to see what it was. I- there's never anyone here but me. I wasn't expecting you."

(She'd also smile to herself at the way he stumbled to get the words out.)

"So you planned on ninja-attacking the pour soul that chose to shower here?"

"Sorry. It was just instinct. Army training," he mumbled at her furrowed brow.

"Oh. That makes sense. I mean, it explains the whole crazy in shape thing, bulging shoulders and the abs. How could anyone forget the abs?"

"_Felicity_."

"Yup?," she snaps back to reality, just now noticing how Oliver seems to be very interested in a faraway point on the ceiling, clearly avoiding looking at her... anything.

"We're still naked."

And yes, with a new wave of embarrassment, Felicity realizes she's been babbling to Oliver Queen, again, yet this time while they remained very naked in a tiny shower stall. Which meant their chest were just a breath away, and looking down she could see everything -and _nope_, she'll not let her mind go there.

With tightly-shut eyes, she snatches her towel from where it laid on the floor and covers herself as Oliver turns the shower off and does the same.

"Hem, it's okay now, Felicity," he chuckles as she remains studying every other inch of the room with her back still to him.

"Yes. But you're still shirtless, and wet...you know what I mean. Wow, Pitch Perfect sure made this shower thing look much more romantic and not nearly as awkward! Then again, I don't think you're the duetting type. I mean, as in singing."

This time his voice shows equal parts amusement and confusion.

"No. No singing, or dancing for that matter."

"Okay. Duly noted under what's not in your showering activities. _Not_ that I've been thinking about what you do in the shower, because that'd be-no, just inappropriate and- we've only gone on like one date so far. And now I've seen you shirtless, and in the shower. We sure are skipping quite a lot of ste-"

"_Felicity_," he warmly interrupts; a hand ghosting over her naked shoulder guiding her to turn around to him. And right then, fog and scalding water forgone, she feels wonderfully heated and relaxed under his touch.

"Yes?," she lets out breathily meeting his darkened gaze.

"How about me take those steps? Tonight? Dinner?"

There's hope in his eyes, want and enthusiasm quite shared in hers too.

"How does pizza and a movie sound?," she offers with a smile; it widening as this time he's the one to nod and halt the dance before they awkwardly part ways to shower -separately, for her sanity- and change to meet up in her room.

(_This_ story they keep from their wedding reception; yet Sara charms it out of her in her bachelorette party two days before.)

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_

Pretty please let me know what you think! :)

xo, Lucy


End file.
